The Buffalo Sabres have little room for error next season as they attempt to end a 14-year Stanley Cup playoff drought — and that means they need to beat above-average teams. That includes the Dallas Stars, who the Sabres will take on twice this coming year. 

The Stars are one of the deepest, most well-balanced teams in the NHL, and while they haven't made a slew of changes after falling in the Western Conference final once again, Dallas is going to be a handful for any opponent, including the Sabres. And as part of THN.com's "Know Your Enemy" series, we're looking at every Buffalo opponent next year. We've been moving through the highly-competitive Central Division, and in today's file, we're breaking down Buffalo's chances against the Stars. Let's get to it:

BUFFALO SABRES VS. DALLAS STARS

NEW STARS PLAYERS: Radek Faksa, C

2024-25 SERIES: Sabres 1-1-0, Stars 1-1-0

2025-26 GAMES AGAINST EACH OTHER:  December 31 at Dallas; April 15 at Buffalo 

CAN THE SABRES BEAT THIS TEAM?  The Sabres and Stars faced off twice last season, with both games coming by the end of the calendar year 2024.  The teams split the series, with Buffalo winning the first game by a 4-2 score, then Dallas winning the second game by the same score. But with the Sabres' struggles, there was no sense these two teams were as good as each franchise was when the Sabres and Stars squared off in the 1998-1999 Stanley Cup final. 

Indeed, the Stars have been one of the top franchises in the league in recent years, even if they haven't been able to get back to the Cup final since they won it in '98-99. And of course, the Sabres have been one of the worst organizations in the league for nearly a decade-and-a-half.

This season, though, presents a fresh start opportunity for Buffalo. And unlike last season, when the teams were done with each other early on, the Sabres and Stars won't have their first game until New Year's Eve in Texas. Then, their second showdown comes in mid-April, in the Sabres' final…